'Complete Breakdown Of Law And Order': TMC Hits Out At Meghalaya Govt Over Illegal Coal Mining

The TMC referred to the recent HC order asking CAPF to be deployed to check on illegal coal mining and transportation to hit out at the Meghalaya government.

Guwahati: The Trinamool Congress on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Meghalaya government and the state police for failing to stop illegal coal mining and transportation. Addressing the media in Shillong, Meghalaya TMC president Charles Pyngrope and TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien hit out the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) over a plethora of issues like the alleged rice scam, smart meter scam, police vehicle scam, and the infamous Assembly dome collapse.

Slamming the government for complete breakdown of law and order in the state, Pyngrope said, "The deployment of central paramilitary forces to stop the illegal transportation of coal is a clear reminder to the state government that they are not doing their job despite High Court orders. This is not merely contempt of court but also a total disorder of law and order in the state."

The TMC also slammed other political parties for failing to raise Meghalaya's burning issues in Parliament while the Mamata Banerjee-led party remained steadfast in their commitment towards the hill state.

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The party also screened speeches made by Trinamool MPs in Parliament concerning various issues of Meghalaya such as the inclusion of the Garo and Khasi languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, attack on Christian institutions, illegal coal mining and lack of development in northeast.

"We made it a point to raise every issue of Meghalaya in Parliament. We say this with all the humility and pride that Trinamool Congress delivers. What were the other national parties doing? Parliament was on for 10 days. I challenge other national and regional parties to show you two minutes of any of their MPs raising a single issue (of Meghalaya). Nobody did. We didn’t do Meghalaya any favour. It was our duty to raise these serious issues and we will continue to do the same," Derek O’Brien said.

Last year, Derek O’Brien had demanded accountability from the Centre in Parliament and asked about the lack of development in Meghalaya and northeastern states despite announcing Rs 7,000 crore allocation to the region.

Earlier this month, the TMC MP had raised the issue of several instances of graft in Meghalaya, including the smart meter scam, rice scam, and the police vehicle scam. Derek O’Brien also highlighted that the under-construction dome of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly that crashed last year was built by Uttar Pradesh Nirman Nigam Ltd. He also raised the issue of attacks on Christian institutions.

On February 8, while TMC MP Jawhar Sircar called for the inclusion of Garo and Khasi languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, MP Abir Ranjan Biswas raised the issue of rampant illegal coal mining in the state and demanded justice for activists who were attacked for exposing it in the state.

(The author is a senior journalist covering the Northeast.)